I'm Going Slightly Mad
by IAlreadyHaveAPlan
Summary: Quinn finds herself living with a clean freak named Rachel Berry; an overzealous roommate who tries to woo her into staying, unlike previous roommates. Quinn however can't stand the girl, but Rachel thinks she's found her new best friend... and maybe something more. Realistically developed relationship, and let's be honest: Doesn't love leave you feeling slightly mad?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Inspired by a brilliant photoset on Tumblr for Faberry week: Roomates, by user Lrbcn, and she gave me permission to write this story. Photoset can be found at post/53581578012. New chapter coming soon, Puck/Quinn bromance, adorably neurotic Rachel, and realistic relationship development… review/subscribe if you want it to continue! **

The blonde walked up the flights of stairs, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she ascended to the room in question. She was admittedly nervous about meeting a potential roommate, although not for the traditional reasons. Half of her mind was set on the theory that she was walking into some serial killer trap, the other half argued she herself would soon become one if she lived with this girl for too long. The plan, however, was to stay only as long as necessary. She needed out of that damn dorm room, and it wasn't every day a room became available at this price, and if it meant slumming it with a musical theater wannabe, then slum it she would.

Reaching the fourth floor, the girl quickly found herself standing out the front of room 401. Strangely, right below the brass numbers was a small, golden star. Smiling to herself, the girl took the chance to read through the advertisement one last time.

_Wanted: Female roommate, early 20s, to share two-bedroom apartment with the next Broadway sensation. I'm not picky, but must meet the following criteria:_

_Currently employed or studying (NYC is there for the taking, take it!)_

_Non-smoking (Terrible for my voice, and honestly, your health)_

_Clean, tidy and organized (A tidy house is a tidy mind!)_

_Doesn't stay out to late and not a big 'party person' (Specifically parties in the house, what you do in your own time is only partly my concern)_

_Pets allowed (Preferably a rescue pet, shows you're responsible! I have a little kitten, Liza Minnelli)_

_Must be LGBTQ friendly! (Not only for personal reasons but wouldn't want to be associated with someone who was intolerant)_

_Must agree to a weekly household meeting (Not all serious though; meetings will be followed by a shared meal and viewing of a musical film of my choosing)_

Shaking her head, smile still tugging at her lips, the young blonde took a long breath before knocking on the door.

It opened immediately.

Standing in front of her was what looked to be a supernova contained in a small brunette's body. The brunette was pretty, there was no side stepping that; with a cute smile, shoulder length sleek hair and legs that looked like they were better suited to a horse, not a 5 foot nothing girl.

"Hi! You must be Quinn. I'm Rachel, Rachel Berry."

Quinn found herself providing a crooked grin in reply. There was something about this girl that radiated an aura of confidence with a hint of one too many coffees; far from the realms of washed up, cat loving clean freak her imagination had concocted. Rachel stepped aside with a sweeping hand, inviting her in.

The apartment was beautiful, far more beautiful than Quinn had imagined for the cost. The blonde took a mental note to make an effort to distrust her imagination in the future. Sunlight streamed into the room from a wall-length windowpane, washing over oak floorboards and striking furniture. Two large bookshelves cushioned a plasma TV, marble glistened spotless in the open kitchen and the walls held an array of pictures. In short, it was perfect.

"Please let me live here," Quinn blurted out, spinning around to face a grinning Rachel.

"Nice, huh? Make yourself at home, I'll grab us something to drink," Rachel replied, briskly walking to the kitchen.

Quinn dropped herself down onto the sofa, only to jump up upon the squeak that resulted. A tiny black and white kitten stared up at her before shooting to the other side of the room, perching itself atop the bookcase.

"So, you're studying Drama at NYU, right? I'm at NYADA, musical theater major," Rachel said, sitting down beside Quinn and presenting her with juice.

Quinn nodded quickly. She hadn't bargained on such a nice apartment, and she sure wasn't going to give it up easily. Time to put on the Fabray charm.

"That's right, I'm studying Drama and English Literature. In my final year, so I thought now would be a better time than any to spread my wings and head out on my own, you know? See another side of New York."

Rachel smiled, pulling a small notepad out from her back pocket. Wordlessly, she scribbled frantically, nodding as if for Quinn to continue.

"…And, um. I'm everything you said on the ad. Studying, neat, I don't smoke, and I love animals. I don't plan on throwing any house parties, and a weekly dinner and movie sounds great."

Behind Rachel, Quinn only just noticed a flash of color. On the balcony that extended outside of the kitchen, waved a rainbow flag.

Following her eye line, Rachel turned around. Looking back to Quinn, she offered a shy smile and shrug.

"And that, you're fine with too, right? Gold star doesn't just stand for my talent," she explained, holding up her necklace, the charm of which was indeed a golden star.

The drama student wasn't exactly sure what the last comment, but she wasn't so far gone as to not recognize the rainbow pride flag. She had never really understood the whole 'gay pride' thing; sexuality was one of those things that didn't need talking about. Regardless, it certainly wasn't an issue for her.

"Oh, right, no. Not an problem at all."

Silence ensued as Rachel continued scribbling away on the notepad. The brunette scrunched her face up, biting her bottom lip and scrunching her nose in what Quinn could only guess was a face of deep concentration.

"Well, I'll get in contact with you. I have a few other applicants to speak to, but I'm sure you'll hear from me in the next few days," Rachel dismissed as she stood up, making her way towards the door and leaving a rather confused blonde in her wake.

Quinn stood and followed, confusion written over her face at this point. Had she said something wrong? As soon as she stepped out of the threshold and into the corridor, the door was closed.

Well then.

The senior walked down the stairs in a daze, until the vibrant sounds of the New Yrewftlohj5t90pjhwy90op9o -''999…ork streets snapped her back into reality once she was outside. The moment her feet hit the sidewalk, however, her phone buzzed to life with the tones of Frank Sinatra.

"Hi, Quinn? It's Rachel Berry from 401. You can bring your stuff over tomorrow, if that's okay?"

Yes!

"…And to save time, I advise you color code your clothing and alphabetize your books. Also best to only bring cooking utensils or decorations of the following colors…"

Oh no.


	2. Chapter 2

Quinn walked along the busy New York streets, and despite her fashionable clothes and hurried pace, she stood out in the swelling crowd. Unlike the people who surrounded her with their heads down, the blonde was looking up around her, marveling at the towers the seemed to touch the clouds themselves. She took the opportunity to dig her camera out of her bag and take a few shots at the towering structures around her, before turning the dense on the crowd that effortlessly moved past her. Eyes squinted, fingers poised, the blonde's keen eyes focused in and waited a few more seconds to capture the momentum of the busy streets before…

"Quinn!"

Bursting through the crowd right as the shutter closed, Rachel Berry stood before her. Bundled up in winter gear so unnecessary that it made her look like she was in danger of toppling over if she moved too quickly, the small brunet rushed forward to close the gap between them, extending a cup of coffee.

It had been only a week since Quinn had made the trip from her old dorm room to Rachel's apartment, now _their_ apartment; and in that short time, the blonde had experienced such an emotional rollercoaster she feared she might soon fall off. The theatrical student certainly lived up to her stereotype: she was overwhelmingly loud, practiced her pitch over making breakfast, and perhaps worst of all, was increasingly believing that Quinn's business was, in fact, her own. The blonde had even considered that freshmen would be better to live with than this girl, and that was saying something. She reassured herself, however, that surely Rachel couldn't be this full on all the time, that it was merely overexcitement about having a new room mate (and, if Quinn was being honest, maybe the first friend the girl had ever had.)

"Hey, Rachel," Quinn mumbled, stuffing the camera back into her bag before accepting the drink and allowing the smaller girl to lead her over to the small red coffee table.

"So, how are your classes going? You seemed to have a lot on your plate last night… I've never seen anyone type that fast before!" Rachel began, taking a sip of coffee.

"Oh, it was nothing, just a paper," Quinn replied, her attention focused on the constant jostle of people.

"Great!" Rachel shot back immediately, as if she had already decided upon her reply regardless of Quinn's response.

"So, that means you're not busy, which is excellent. I've taken the liberty of scheduling our household meeting, and I was thinking tha-"

"Oh my god, Rachel?!"

The squeal of her roommate's name almost made Quinn drop her coffee cup. Emerging from the crowd, a tall, lean, black-haired beauty trotted over on stilted legs to sweep Rachel up into a hug. The two embraced with some comfort and familiarity that Quinn immediately felt awkward, dropping her eyes and finding extensive interest in the material her sweater was made from.

"Babe, it's been so long! How have you been?"

"I've been excellent, Jade! I've taken the lead role for this years musical, which was to be expected, but I'm happy none the less… and I've adopted a kitten, and, oh! I've moved in with Quinn! How rude of me, Jade, meet Quinn."

Quinn looked up and was immediately met with the coldest death glare she had ever received. Pale blue eyes stared out from underneath a straight cut fringe, and never before had the blonde witnessed a smile that seemed to cause someone so much effort. Regardless, Quinn rose to her feet and returned the smile, shaking the hand that was extended to her, which was released seconds later as Jade placed it on Rachel's hip.

"Well, I'd best be off. Nice seeing you!"

The two girls sat back down in sync, one noticeably more confused that the other. Rachel smiled to herself, while Quinn simply stared at her, shocked by the oblivious theater major. Was Rachel really that pathetic in dealing with people? Scolding herself for even thinking such a silly question, the blonde gave a light cough, which seemed to bring Rachel's head out of the clouds and back down to the coffee table.

"Oh, sorry. As I was saying, I was thinking we could-"

"Who was that?" Quinn interjected.

"Ohhh, Jade? She's my ex, but as you can see, we clearly ended on good terms. She's my friend."

Oh.

It was easy for Quinn to forget that Rachel was… that way inclined. Not that she had a problem with it. Not at all. Though if she was to be totally honest, Quinn was quite confused by the whole thing. After all, all her life she had been told certain things about 'lesbians', and Rachel didn't seem to fit any of them. Well, she did have a cat, but the tiny girl wasn't 'larger', didn't have a boys haircut, wasn't tattooed, and didn't do drugs. She didn't even wear that many vests! Needless to say, Quinn hadn't exactly thought about Rachel having girls over or anything like that; after all, the tiny supernova seemed to be constantly trying to keep up with herself, let alone have time for the dating world.

Another thought, however, suddenly dawned on Quinn.

"Um, Rachel. I think Jade thought I was your, ah, _girlfriend_," Quinn hissed, feeling her ears heat up.

Rachel, on the other hand, broke into her large, award-winning smile, and casually flipped her hand through the air.

"Don't be silly! I'm sure she was happy to meet you," the brunette dismissed.

Quinn nodded along passively, feeling the heat spread to her cheeks. She wasn't sure what mas making her feel this embarrassed, but there was no talking herself out of accepting the fact that she was. She had never considered herself homophobic, but the mere thought of even a stranger thinking that she was _gay_ was enough to make her want to chase after that Jade girl and explain that she wasn't. And the more Quinn realized how badly she didn't want someone to think she was, the more embarrassed for feeling that way she became.

"Aw, your little nose is turning red. Let's go home and get you out of the cold, okay?"

Rachel's words brought Quinn out of her self-imposed paralyzing embarrassment, allowing the blonde to rise to her feet. She followed the smaller girl through the swarming movement of bodies, and before she knew it they had returned home.

Quinn instantly mumbled something to do with feeling a bit ill, and retreated to the safety of her room.

The second her roommate's door was closed, Rachel's phone sprang to life with the tune to 'Because I Knew You'. After taking a moment to sing along, Rachel answered as she kicked off her shoes and entered her own room.

"So, how's the new roommate?"

"Please tell me you haven't scared this one away already."

The voices of her two best friends, Blaine and Kurt, immediately warmed Rachel's heart. She had been friends with the two boys since high school, and when they all found their dreams come true in New York, Rachel was beyond appreciative to have them there with her for support.

"She's lovely. And I never 'scare them away', Kurt," Rachel replied promptly, as she allowed herself to fall back onto her bed.

"Oh sweetheart, of course not. So, tell us about her."

"Well, she's really sweet. She's studying Drama and English Literature at NYU, absolutely stunning, can cook a fabulous lasagna, and she smells like vanilla and strawberries."

The brunette could practically hear the eyeroll down the phone.

"Rach, please do not tell this poor Quinn girl that you know what she _smells_ like."

"I really like her. I hope we can be friends. Or more…"

"Awesome. Well, you know we're cheering for you."

"Thanks, boys. Dinner is summoning me. Talk to you later!"

Hanging up the phone, Rachel allowed her legs to dangle in the air as she pondered the conversation. She wasn't naïve enough to think that her previous four roommates had left without any relation to her behavior, although the third girl was undoubtedly simply threatened by her talent. Simply put, she wasn't willing to forgo her standard of living to please anyone, even if they were a blonde haired angelic girl with legs for days and smelt like vanilla and strawberries. With this resolve in mind, Rachel rolled off the bed and on to her feet, fixed up her ruffled hair, and took pen to paper.

Quinn was relaxing in her room, music playing loud enough to allow her to work on her paper, which, in Quinn's case, was loud. So perhaps that explained why, in her essay-writing haze, she failed to hear a persistent tapping on her door. It wasn't until Rachel had entered the room, and turned the volume of the stereo down to a quiet whisper, that Quinn sprang to life.

"Whoa, Rachel, you really need to knock before-"

"I did, Quinn, several times in fact; but moving on, we have a household to discuss."

Blinking away her confusion, Quinn settled back down into her bed, folding her legs up.

"Okay… everything seems cool?"

The piece of paper that suddenly appeared in Rachel's hand, however, wasn't exactly the sign she was hoping for. Rachel straightened up, tucked her hair behind her ear and cleared her throat.

Here we go.

"I, on the most part, agree. You're a good companion, but I do have a few small issues I'd like to point out. If you could pick up after yourself more often, do the laundry before it becomes a pile, I do prefer color coded closets but I can help you there, if you could…"

Rachel's voice slowly turned into a low, dull void to Quinn's ears. Resigning herself to simply nod along as Rachel passionately paced back and forth, relentlessly continuing to list all the things that she required of Quinn, the blonde once again found herself what in the world she'd gotten herself in to. It wasn't as if she hated the girl… Rachel was kindhearted, and meant well- but all that still didn't prevent her from giving off that 'kill you in your sleep because you left a dish out' kind of vibe.

As Rachel continued to read off the list of tasks from the piece of paper she clutched tightly in her hands, Quinn couldn't help but hear the song playing in the background, whispering the iconic sounds of _Queen._

"You're missing that one final screw  
You're simply not in the pink my dear  
To be honest you haven't got a clue  
I'm going slightly mad  
I'm going slightly mad"

Oh, you have _no_ idea.


End file.
